DLA to PIP but NHS has discharged son

My son, who has a formal diagnosis of Aspergers with associated anxiety, dyspraxia and communication disorders, turned 16 a couple of weeks ago, so he's being considered for transfer from DLA to PIP. I'm representing him, after a battle with HMRC whose assessor initially decided my son could manage his own affairs as he can read, write and understands "if you don't respond to us we can stop your money".

Aside from the usual challenges in completing the PIP paperwork, I've now received a letter from NHS Grampian's Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service discharging my son as a patient due to the the department not being "resourced to continue to support" him. We've had very limited support from the service for many years due to shortages of resources, lack of staff, various errors and so on, but at least he was a patient with identified needs—even if addressing them wasn't a priority. But we've now been told, in writing as well as in person by a psychiatrist and an occupational therapist, that we should look to "community agencies" (ie charities) or private mental health practitioners for support. The psychiatrist also said they now only support adolescents who are actively self-harming or who have actually harmed others.

As we live in a rural part of Scotland, there are no charities providing local support or interventions for adolescents with ASDs—the last support (social skills workshops) was withdrawn more than a year ago when the council cut the funding to the charity involved. I'm trying to find a chartered psychologist in private practice with expertise of Aspergers, adolescents, anxiety etc but the nearest one (40 miles away) is no longer taking private patients and the next nearest is 70 miles away. (And, of course, the cost is going to be considerable so we'll have to borrow money to pay for their services.)

I have several lever-arch files of paperwork evidencing all aspects of his condition (NHS, education etc; psycholgists, psychiatrists, mental health workers, speech therapists, occupational therapists etc) for the past 13 years, but will that be enough for PIP without a current health professional in charge of his care?

(Incidentally, I'm actually studying psychology via the OU as it became clear a couple of years ago that we were being left to our own devices but I didn't expect my son to be discharged on his 16th birthday. It's horrifying to learn how much could done to provide support in managing the condition and developing mental skills, but isn't because there's "no will to do so" as one one senior manager told me.)

Thanks. An HMRC official came out as our croft is too far away from a DWP office. Mind you, HMRC is closing it's "local" office as part of its rationalisation so next time around I might have to travel some distance to visit either.

It wasn't so much the evidence that was causing concern, as the fact that the NHS has now discharged my son as a patient. I was wondering if the system would now regard him as "cured" given that the NHS don't want anything further to do with him unless he gets to the point of "actively self-harming".

Hi Eardstapa

It seems to be pretty common for the NHS to discharge patients who aren't 'cured'. Their philosophy seems to be that you are on your own until things get so desperate that you can't possibly manage on your own and then you ask for a re-referral from your GP and the whole silly process starts all over again.

There is no suggestion that they have affected a 'cure'. Just that there is nothing more they can do, unless and until the situation becomes acute and unmanageable. (Speaking as one who has been discharged on several occasions, and then readmitted when the situation deteriorated). Just explain what has been said and let 'them; wake it from there...

Thanks for replying. Ironically, we were re-referred by the GP as the community doctor (who coves the school) and the ed psych at the school had referred their concerns for his mental health to her. The Mental Health response was to discharge him. And I've just heard from an independent clinical psychologist, ex-NHS, who says that services for people with ASDs are non-existent in our area and two neighboring ones. And that mental health services generally are almost non-existent.

Anyway, I need some sleep and to put the pile of PIP paperwork aside for the evening.